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Kerry meeting with Syrian opposition in London

By BRADLEY KLAPPER Associated Press

Posted:
04/10/2013 02:45:52 AM MDT

LONDON—U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is meeting with Syrian opposition leaders and Russia's top diplomat a day after saying the U.S. could soon step up aid to rebels fighting Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime.

Kerry is attending a lunch alongside the Syrian opposition's interim prime minister and other senior figures. He later meets one-on-one with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Kerry is in London for a G8 foreign ministers' meeting Wednesday and Thursday. He arrived from the Middle East, where he held three days of talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

Before leaving Israel, he said the Obama administration was holding intense talks on how to boost aid to Syria's rebels. He said it was important to increase pressure on Assad's regime to get it to the negotiating table.